Tehsildar Sopore launches awareness campaign
With an aim of ensuring shopkeepers don’t keep water and soft drinks packed in Polyethylene Terephthalate PET bottles exposed to sunlight in the summer months, Tehsildar Sopore Sheikh Tariq on Wednesday launched an awareness campaign advising the shopkeepers selling packed water and soft-drinks to keep the water inside shops rather than displaying the same outside shops which is harmful to health.
Tehsildar Sheikh Tariq was accompanied by Naib Tehsildar Shahid Khaliq and Mohammad Ashraf in this drive who visited many retail and wholesale grocery shops in Sopore town and adjoining Sangrama as well.
Pertinently the officers acted after a video created by social activist Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat few days back wherein he explained the harmful effects of sunlight on plastic bottles containing water and soft drinks / juices. The video went viral on social networking sites like Instagram , facebook and X.
“Several scientific studies conducted worldwide especially by Columbia University and National Institute of Health -NIH clearly shows that exposure to ultraviolet radiation is dangerous to plastic bottles especially the Polyethylene Terephthalate PET bottles. Exposure to UV radiation, whether it is from outside storage or possibly even exposure to fluorescent lighting in retail is considered as another contributor to PET quality degradation and is harmful to human life” said Dr Raja Muzaffar
Scientific studies have proved that exposure of PET bottles to sunlight especially in summer months is very dangerous and causes release of nanoplastics which impacts human health through the bloodstream.
“I am grateful to Tehsildar Sopore and Food Safety Officers who have initiated awareness campaign on this by taking cognizance of my video “ Dr Raja Muzaffar added
